Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-03-18
BURIAL OF HENRY WARD
BEECHER.

| bEEOHER.
The burial of Henry Ward Beecher, the
great Brooklyn preacher, took place on
| Friday morning last. 1t was preceded by a
private funeral ceremony Thursday at the
house, and the public ceremonies took
place next day. in Plymouth church,
| which had been made flower garden for
the occasion. The dead preacher during
| life had always expressed the wish that
! there should be no black used when he
died and no gloomy ceremony. In spite
of the rain the streets in the vicinity OF
| Mr.. Beecher's house were crowded with
people Thursday morning. At s O'Clock
a squad Of twenty police took up their
stations in front of the house. A large
number of floral embems were received
| before the private services commended.
| Two wreaths of white roses, lilies of. the
valley sud smilax were received by Mrs
| Col. Beecher early in the morning. These
bore the cards of Ellen Terry and Henry
Irving. Mrs. S. V. White sent a pillow
VI WuhUO lObCo. L uO COulu lCoVOo LII ubN
centre of the front parlor, and was SUI.
rounded with bank of fragrant flowers.
The sweet perfume of the flowers pervad-
ed the air, and on all sides could be seen
| floral embIems from friends and admirers
of the dead divine. The remains were
dressed in a suit of black broadcloth, with
! frock coat buttoned up and right hand
| laid across the creast. The features were
| natural, and there was smile upon the
face. The long gray hair was brushed
back over the ears, the same as Mr.. Beech
er wore it while alive.
Early in the morning before the services
Mrs. Beeeher went into the parlor ano
stood by the coffin for some time. She bent
over the remains, and after implanting a
kiss upon the cold lips was led into th'
back room. Promptly at $50 O'Clock Rev
Charles H. Hall, of the Church of the
Holy Trinity. entered the house. After a
short conversation with Major Pond. BIT
entered the front psrlor and commenced
to read the burial service from the ritual
Of the Episcopal Church. A quartette
sang Jesus, Lover of My Soul, beyond
the Signing and the Weeping" and ''Come
Holy Spirit" While the services were i'll
progress in the house Company G known as
the Plymouth company, Thirteenth Regi-
ment, we're drawn up in front Of the house
on Hicks street. They we're dressed il
regulation unlform-white gloves, white
| bolt nd vUhito hnl 0nlU hQI a
OF the family and few intimate friends
we're present during the services at the
house. The family were seated in the back
parlor. None of the family we're. dressed
| in black. Mrs. Beecher sat near the re-
mains during the reading of the service,
and by her side were her sons and daugh
ters and members OF the family. She bore
| up wonderfully during the whole of The
ceremony and was quite calm.
| PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND HABITS.
The New York "Tribune" says: In per-
sonal appearance Mr.. Beecher was one OF
the most striking men about New York
He was of medium height, with broao
| shoulders and a heavy girth; SO stout and
| feshy, ia fact, that he looked short il
inches. His head was large, though not
bulging or irregular. His forehead Was
| high and his features were strong and full
His color was high, his cheeks and NECK
being always full-veined and ruddy. His
hair was gray. turning to white in recent
years, and hung in loose locks down OIL
ais black coat collar. His face was always
smooth-shaven. His eyes were of a graylsh
blue, full of fire and expression in his mo-
ments Of feeling, always humorous and in
quisitive. He never paid great attention
70 dress, though far from being an IN
kempG or slovenly man. He wore dark
nabituallY. He never could be brought to
put on silk hat or "claw-hammer"
coat, wearing Prince Albert coat on for
NAL occasions. Even in the pulpit he sui
tituted turn-down collar and black neck.
tie for the more conventional clerical
"choker' and white tie. He was, IL
[ fact, unconventional and Indifferent in
| most of the smallest details of life. Mr..
| Beecher's Indifference in dress and other
personal matters extended to his money
affairs. He was undeniably careless about
money, and his generous disposition often
got him into temporary financial straits.
| His salary had been increased from time
| to time until it was 1000 at the time of
the Beecher-Tilton trial. That year his
congregation voted him 500, 900, out of
which, of course. he paid the expenses of
the suit. After that he received $50, 900
wear. as before. His lecture tours were in
the main profitable, and ha got good
deal of money out of his books and news
paper articles. Some years ago he sold his
house on Columbia Heights and went to
live on his farm in the Peekskill Hills.
He had good sized country house there,
and the estate is now of considerable
value. In the last few years his time. in
BROOKLYN was spent at the home of his
son. Henry B Beeeher, in Hicks street.
Mr.. Beecher did not change his legal resi-
dence in Brooklyn, Of course, by his NOV
ino to Peekskill. He always voted in
| Brooklyn.
HIS OWN STATEMENT OF HIS DOCTRINES.
uBRooKLYN, June 13, 1885. Dear Sir:
T thank you for your friendly solicltude.
ON snre that in the end you will not be
disappointed, tho on some points you may
not aoree with me. The foundation doc
trines as hold them are personal God,
tcrastor and ruler over all things; the hui
man family universally sinful; the need